Outcasts BVB
by FallenAngelBVB3
Summary: Cath has an abusive adopted dad, no friends, and she is a target at school. She cuts and her "dad" beats her up. Then she meets BVB by chance in Sacramento, Specifically Andy Biersack. What will happen if they fall for each other?
1. Chapter 1

~Cath's POV~

I run into the bathroom crying and lock the door behind me, seconds later I can hear him pounding on the door, Screaming every drunken profanity he knows at me. I open my hand and look at my blade in my palm, tears rolling down my cheeks I pull up my sleeve past my elbow and stare at it in despair, at the pale skin crisscrossed by bright red lines. Their words are going through my head. 'Fat. Ugly. Worthless. Emo. Freak. Mistake. Trash.' I can't take it. I want desprately to escape my mind, to be anywhere but here, anyone but myself. More than anything I want to go far away where no one can hurt me anymore. I grit my teeth and run the razor along my arm again and again. Blood immediately flows out, dripping off my fingertips onto the white porcilain of the sink. I sob, hunched over as he pounds on the door, calling me out.

"You little rat! You filthy vermin!" He slurred "You had better get out here! NOW!" Something smashes against the door. It sounded like a wine bottle.

"I.. I'm not going to.. to come out... I know... You'll... kill me!" I sob hyperventilating so that I can hardly speak.

"I will kill you if you don't come out!" He screams in rage. "You have three seconds to do what I told you to do or I swear to god I will break down this door you freak!" What sounds like a chair smashes against the door. "One!" He pounds something heavy against the door and i shudder. It won't last much longer. "Two!" He hammers the door again and I desprately try to mop up the blood with toilet paper, I can't let him see again. "Three!" he breaks the door down and I can't hold back a scream. he's carrying a huge axe and he seems three times my size in his anger.

He sees the blood and my blade lying on the sink and his eyes burn with fury, i see his arm move and the flat of he axe collides with my rib cage, I scream in pain and I can't slow down my breathing. "You wanna cut?" he yells. "You wanna cut you little emo freak? Huh? I will show you what I think of cutters!" He shoves me to the ground and kneels on top of me, digging his knees into my shoulders. I can smell the alcohol on his breath and I know he is drunk. He's usually drunk. The fingers of his right hand clutch my blade and his left hand forces my forearm down flat on the tile, digging the blade in deeper than i had cut in a long time. I scream in pain and feel him slug me in the face. "Shut up!" he growls, taking the blade to my arm again. I bite back screams and sobs, silent tears running down my face. There is nothing I can do to escape and nothing I can do to stop him. After a while he finally seems finished. he throws my blade to the side and squezes my throat with one hand. I gasp, trying to breathe and he leans close to my face and growls. "If I ever catch you cutting again, I will finish you off freak. Do you understand me?" I nod, wide-eyed, there isn't enough air in my lungs to speak.

He leaves, grabbing a bottle of tequila from next to the broken remnants of the door, and stumbles down the hallway into his room. I shudder so hard that I almost can't move but I have to stop the bleeding. Tears are streaming down my cheeks. I am pathetic.

I shakily get up and turn on the faucet, washing the blood off my arm. Looking in the mirror I see the monster that I really am When I don't hide myself. Battered, bruised, my black eyeliner smudged all over my face. Hideous beyond comparison. I open the medicine cabinet and pull out some gauze bandage and peroxide. I quickly doctor my wrists and put it away. Then i use toilet paper to clean the blood off the walls and the tile, picking up the broken glass and chair parts and throwing them away. I quickly change into some Jack Skellington pajamas ( cgi/set?id=144449107) and lie in bed in the dark. staring at the celing trying desprately to hold myself together.

When the first light of dawn shines through the slats in my blinds I get up, pushing my tangled blue hair out of my eyes I turn on the shower and look in the mirror, deciding. I pull out a tube of purple hair dye, that will look cool with the blue. I massage the dye into the top of my hair with gloved hands, leaving the bottom blue and take off my bandages while I wait for the dye to set. My wrist is swollen and red so I put some more peroxide on them and hope for the best. When I exit the shower I catch sight of myself in the mirror and wince. Aside from the usual ugliness and scars there is a dark purple bruise on my face, two on my shoulders and a huge green and purple bruise on my side from the axe. I look away. I get dressed quickly. A pierce the veil shirt, a black skirt with leggings, and a long sleeved red cardigan that will cover all of the bruises, except for the one on my cheek. ( cath/set?id=143727245)

Next I walk over to the sink and pull eyeliner, mascara and concealer out of a bag on the counter. After applying all three the bruise is no longer visible and my eyes are framed in a thick line of black. I need to get out of the house for the morning, But I can't let him catch me leaving. I leaf throuh my bag, pulling out wristband after wristband and putting them on untill I pull out my favorite one. I pause, holding it in the narrow beams of light from the shuttered window. It is black and has a white print of the Andy Sixx character on it. I think of how many times Black Veil Brides has saved my life. They are the most important thing in my life and the closest thing I have to friends. Tears filling my eyes, I pull the bracelet on along with a grey batman wristband. Finally I sling my favorite batman bag over my shoulder and shove my wallet in it.

I walk quietly to the door and open it slowly, lifting it slightly so the hinges don't squeak. I walk past the living room on my way to the door and there he is. He's passed out cold, sprawled on the couch with numorous bottles next to him. I hold my breath as I creep to the door and open it slowly, praying he doesn't wake up. For once in my life, my prayers are answered and I make it to the cracked sidewalk in front of the shabby, peeling house. I start to walk briskly towards the city, It's only a few blocks away and I get there quickly. I wander for a few hours thinking over my miserable life. I have never had a friend, or someone who cares about me. When that... thing... adopted me I was about two and I had been in an orpanage my entire life. Then he brought me here, he was the first person to really break me, terrifying me, beating me, threatening death if I disobeyed him. He would get drunk or high all the time and threaten me for no reason. He knows that he can do whatever he wants because I have nowhere else to go. One would think that I would be able to find friends, Or at least a nice teacher, but no. I was a target at school, an outcast. They called me ugly, they called me emo, they called me fat, they called me a freak. I catch sight of my reflection in a store window. A lump rises in my throat. They were right.

I wander aimlessly, lost in thoght. I turn the corner and glance up for a second. I stop and look again. not fifty yards away from me, parked on the side of the road is the Black Veil Brides tour bus. Not only that, But JAKE, ASHLEY AND CC ARE STANDING OUTSIDE!

I supress running over so I don't look like a total idiot and instead walk briskly over to the bus. When I'm about five paces from three of my favorite people in the world, Ashley turns around and smiles at me.

"Hi." I have every expectation that I won't be able to speak, But I manage to stammer out

"hello." I can't believe this is actually happening. Ashley laughs and Jake says.

"Black Veil Brides fan huh? What's your name?" I blush

"It's Cath. How did you know I was a fan?" CC laughs, always the class clown "You have that 'oh my god I can't believe they're real' look about you." I laugh, slightly embarrased, but still happier than I had ever been before.

"You can't blame me, I've idolized you guys for as long as I can remember. Can you sign by batman purse?"

"Sure" Says Jake and I hand it over, blushing. Two people come by to ask Ash why he's wearing eyeliner. He answers them cooly

"Because I enjoy it." I see Jake glance upward for some reason and I'm about to ask why when suddenly someone yells in a fake high pitch voice just behind me

"OH MY GOD! IT'S THE BLACK VEIL BRIDES! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" The voice sounds farmiliar. Oh my god. I whirl around. Standing right behind me is a tall, thin man with dark hair and crystal blue eyes. Andy Biersack. He catches sight of the shocked look on my face and cracks up. The entire band starts laughing to. I smile, and then I start to laugh a little too. I can't believe this is happening. When I look up at him, I see that he was already looking at me, our eyes meet and I suddenly can't breathe. I've seen hundreds of pictures of him, but they can't quite capture the dazzling brilliance of those bright blue eyes. They catch my gaze and don't let me go. I feel like I could get lost in them forever. Beautiful. That single moment stretches to become it's own small eternity.

I feel like I should say something so I just say quietly,

"Hi, my name is Cath." I'm surprised I can even speak. He beams down at me and his perfect smile is all I can concentrate on.

"Cath..." He says gently, his real voice sounding, if possible, even nicer in person. "That's pretty. Is that your full name?" I glance away, wishing my first name were better. "No." I can't bring myself to tell him my full name so I just stay quiet. He smiles that amazing half-smile of his.

"What is your full name?" He asks, a playful spark in his eyes. I smile back a little.

"It doesn't matter, I go by Cath." Dumb... Dumb thing to say. Why can't I think straight?

"Okay, If that makes you happy." It's better then my real name. I think to myself. I push my newly dyed hair out of my eyes and smile at him. He pauses for a second, then points at my wrist and I feel myself instantly switch to panic mode. Does he see my scars?

"Looks like we're twins." he says in his deep voice. I try to keep smiling, but inside I am panicking. Did he see?

"Yeah... I... I guess so." I say, It's the only thing I can think of. I push my fake smile so he doesn't see my true emotions. His smile disappears and his eyebrows draw together. "Are you okay Cath?" He asks. I bite my lip, trying to think of something to say.

"I'm fine." He doesn't seem convinced.

"Are you sure?" he asks.

Before I can respond Ashley says something to Andy.

"Andy, we're going to go get breakfast now. Are you coming? Cath can come to, she seems cool." Andy looks at me, smiling that little half-smile again. I look at him quizzically having not realized fully what Ashley had said.

"Do you want to come with us?" he asks. A rush of giddiness and exitement and complete shock breaks over me.

"Really? Do you mean it?" I ask him eagerly.

"Why are you suprised?" He asked. "You're a pretty girl talking to a group of guys." I blush. I know I'm not even remotely good-looking, but it's nice of him to pretend. "I'm not pretty." I say to him. His eyes twinkle.

"My mistake, I meant to say beautiful. Do you want to come?" My heart flips over iteslf and I can barely contain my excitement, but I still feel like I will just be a drag on the group so I say.

"If you really want me to." He breaks into a beautiful, full smile and says quietly.

"I do."

Suddenly CC bursts out.

"Andy! stop flirting, I want some pancakes!" We both blush and I feel like I have to ask him somthing.

"I would love to go, one thing first though." I say, hoping no one will see how nervous I really am. "What?" he asks gently. "I'm a huge fan. Can I have a hug?" he smiles wider. "Of course." He says pulls me into a hug. I hug him back and I feel like This must be the highest point in my life. At the very least it's the best part so far.

After a few seconds I break the hug and I hear Jake speak up.

"Alright, let's go get some pancakes." Andy looks at him and adresses the group in general.

"Okay, where are the other two who were just here?" I assume he must mean the snobby couple who asked Ashley about his eyeliner. Ash answers.

"They weren't fans, they were just asking why we were all wearing makeup." The other guys nod.

"Oh, okay." Andy says flatly, he sounds tired for a second. Then he picks himself up and takes my hand. I fell a rush of energy and I blush so deeply I am sure everyone must notice, but it's worth it. I look down at my hand in his and smile. this is the only time in my life I've ever been truly happy.


	2. Chapter 2

~Andy's Perspective~

I push the bus door shut behind me muffling the sounds of hundreds of people screaming, chanting and calling my name. I will never get used to that. The first concert on tour is always the most exahsting, but it's also my favorite. I duck slightly and walk down the narrow hallway to my room in the back of the bus. I have no energy to do anything except collapse onto my bed, not even pausing to take my shoes or my stage costume off. As I lie there i feel a tired smile creeping onto my face. I never fully realized how much I missed touring until now. I crave the energy in the room when we preform, the screaming fans, the war paint, everybody singing along as we preform. It's all i've ever wanted to do.

"six to sixty" I mutter to myself chuckling quietly. in minutes my mind drifts far away and I am dead to the world.

"Morning Sunshine!" I hear a farmiliar voice. Oh great. I keep my eyes closed and turn my head into my pillow hoping that i had just imagined it. I feel a dull impact as someone whacks me across the face with a pillow. Groaning, I pull the blankets up. "C'mon man, it's ten thirty already, you gotta get up!" My eyes crack open. CC stands over me raising his pillow again.

"Okay! Okay!" I push myself up into a sitting position. I smile a little "I'm getting up, but i still don't know why i'm getting up, we don't have a show today."

"Ash thought you might be dead" he says beaming energetically."It's not like you haven't come pretty close before. Remember when you tried to fly off that pillar? Anyways, we arrived in Sacramento at about eight so we're going to Tower Cafe for some pancakes." My fuzzy brain begins to wake up and I remember where we're playing tonight.

"Sacramento. We're playing the Ace of Spades again tomorrow aren't we? We always have a great time playing there. I think to myself. "The one and only. Get dressed,we're leaving in twenty minutes and your eyeliner is smudged ALL over your face."

"Wonderful" I reply sarcastically, still half smiling. He walks out, pausing only to throw his pillow at me. He misses and it slides down the wall. I laugh a little. I have to force myself to get out of bed. I rummage through my suitcase for something to wear, I haven't had a chance to put it all in drawers. I bite my lip, looking for what feels like an hour before i finally grab everything i want to wear today. I decide on a Misfits skull t-shirt, a leather jacket, jeans and a batman wristband. ( cgi/set?id=143659264) I grab my eyeliner and head for the bus bathroom, smacking my head on the low lintel of the door for the umpteenth time.

I have barely finished washing my face and reapplying a thin black line when i hear a knock at the door and jake saying. "c'mon Andy, we're about to leave!"

"I'll be right there!" throwing open the door i almost collide with jinxx as i run down the narrow hallway. I shove my wallet in my pocket and pull on my combat boots. "Is the bus driver going to drive us to whatever-it's-called?" Pancakes do sound awesome.

Jinxx laughs. "Dude, you forgot what it's called again? It's the Tower Cafe, we come here every time we play in Sacramento; And to answer your question, no. It's only about three blocks away so we're going to walk."

"Ok, thanks" I don't hear CC or the others so I presume they are waiting outside. I walk towards the exit. When I look out the window I laugh out loud. I see that not only are they already outside, but that there are also a group of fans standing there getting autographs. How did they know we were here so quickly? The dedication some of these people have is just amazing.

Seeing them reminds me to grab my autograph pen off the table next to me and shove it in my pocket with my wallet. I try not to forget it in case I meet any fans. The fans outside are facing the guys with their backs to the door. There are two girls and a boy, but while the boy and one of the girls seem to be together, the other girl seems to have come alone. A smile creeps onto my face.

I quietly open the door so they can't hear me come out. Jake glances up, smiling for a fraction of a second, but I press my finger to my lips to silence him. He seems to understand, quickly looking away and pretending he didn't see me. I slowly walk down the steps of the bus, sticking to the edges so they don't creak. I tiptoe as quietly as I can until i'm directly behind the girl who came alone.

I start jumping around and screaming in a high pitched voice. "OH MY GOD! IT'S THE BLACK VEIL BRIDES! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" She turns around, a mixture of shock and disbeilef on her face and the entire band starts laughing. She starts to giggle too. I look more closely at her, she has blue and purple hair, A pierce the veil shirt, and lots of wristbands. She catches me looking at her and our eyes lock. For a second, I can't breathe, her eyes are green with a ring of grey blue along the edges. Beautiful.

"Hi, my name's Cath." Her voice is shy and quiet and she seems nervous, but she is still smiling. I pause fo a few seconds because for once in my life I can't think of anything to say. My brain seems to have shorted out and my heart beats a thousand miles an hour. All that comes to mind to say to her is,

"Cath... that's pretty. Is that your full name?" she averts her gaze looking slightly abashed. Her eyes follow the patterns of the cracks in the sidewalk as she answers simply,

"No." her voice is even quieter than before and she doesn't elaborate on her real name. I smile slightly.

"What is your full name?" I ask playfully.

"It doesn't matter, I go by Cath."

"Okay, if that makes you happy." We're both smiling now. She pushes a lock of galaxy hair out of her face and i notice one of her bracelets; It's the same batman wristband i'm wearing. I smile, pointing to her arm with my left hand, the one with the wristband on it.

"Looks like we're twins." I say. Her smile suddenly freezes and the look in her eyes is one of alarm.

"Yeah... I... I guess so." she smiles bigger, but it seems forced to me and she tries to hide her arm discreetly behind her. I give her a worried look. Why did that make her so nervous?

"Are you okay Cath?" She bites her lip slightly.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" I look at her doubtfully. Then Ash says

"Andy, we're going to go get breakfast now. Are you coming? Cath can come to, she seems cool." I look at her, A half smile forming on my lips. She looks at me quizzically. "Do you wan't to come with us?" I ask. Her face breaks into a real grin.

"Really? Do you mean it?"

"Why are you suprised? You're a pretty girl talking to a group of guys." Oh my god that was so corny. I think to myself. She blushes.

"I'm not pretty." she mumbles. There is something about her voice and her smile that makes me feel like my brain doesn't want to work properly. I could listen to her speak for hours without getting bored and each time she smiles I feel completely content. I smile fully now.

"My mistake, I meant to say beautiful. Do you want to come?"

"If you really want me to." I beam at her.

"I do"

Suddenly CC bursts,

"Andy, stop flirting, I want some pancakes!" Now Cath and I are both blushing and she says;

"I would love to go, one thing first though."

"What?" I ask. "I'm a huge fan. Can I have a hug?" she asks shyly.

"Of course" I say, still smiling, I wrap my arms around her. Behind her back, CC is making dramatic goo-goo eyes and pretending to propose to a noexistant companion while the guys silently laugh.

"F*** you." I mouth at them, flipping them off; which of course only makes them laugh harder.

She breaks the hug and Jake says

"alright, let's go and get some pancakes."

"Okay, where are the other two who were just here?" I ask the guys in general. Ash speaks up.

"they weren't fans, they were just asking why we were all wearing makeup."

"Oh, Okay." I say tiredly, i'm used to that by now. After all, I got expelled for wearing to much eyeliner to school. Cath still hasn't moved so I slip my hand into hers and pull her gently in the direction of the resturaunt. She blushes deeply and looks at our interlocked fingers. She's smiling though, so i figure she's happy.


	3. Chapter 3

After a few minutes walking we come to a set of glass double doors and Andy reaches out his free hand and opens them for me. I smile at him as a thank-you and he smiles back. Something about him makes everything okay. A short waiter wearing glasses leads us through the sunny, open restaurant to a long booth table along the wall, the table is set out for eight people. Andy sits in the corner on the booth side and pulls me up next to him. I blush again, something I've been doing a lot of lately. Jinxx sits next to me and Ash, CC and Jake sit in the wrought iron chairs in front of us, leaving the two seats at the end vacant. A huge window dominates most of the wall behind me. I expect Andy to let go of my hand but he doesn't he just moves his thumb in slow circles along the back of my hand under the table. I hide my smile behind a menu.

I make small talk with Jinxx while we both look over the menu.

"Your name is... Cath. Right? I nod,

"Yeah." The corners of my mouth turn up and I say "You're Donald Trump right?" He laughs.

"Yup, Donald Trump, that's me." I smile. " blueberry pancakes look good" I look where he's pointing.

"Hmmm, yeah, they do." there is a silence for a minute or two as we both look over the menu. I decide on plain buttermilk pancakes with strawberry syrup. The picture looks good anyway. I address Jinxx again, who seems to have already decided and is looking at his phone. After another second he switches off the screen

I ask the million dollar question. "So. How are you and Sammi?" He smiles without looking up at me and his eyes loose their focus.

"Amazing. I love her so much, she's the best thing that ever happened to me." He looks up finally when I ask

"Do you miss her?" He keeps smiling, but his eyes loose their dreaming quality and look almost desperate.

"Yeah." he whispers. His phone vibrates and he picks it up, reading a short text. His face splits into a real grin "Speak of the devil." He mutters to himself. He looks up and speaks to everyone, "Guys, I have a bit of a surprise." The others urge him to explain and Andy's fingers tighten slightly around mine an he leans forwards to look at Jinxx. "Sammi just texted me, she's going to meet us here in about ten minutes." The guys start cheering and clapping Jinxx on the back and he just sits there, looking like somebody gave him the world.

"That's so amazing Jinxx! I can't wait to meet her!" I say and Jinxx says

"She can't wait to meet you either, I told her all about you. I think you guys will be really good friends." Andy joins the conversation.

"Yeah, I think Sammi will really like you Cath. "He smiles at me, his eyes twinkling."

"We do anyways." says Ash. The waiter appears at our table to take our orders. I order my pancakes first.

While the guys order, recent events start to catch up to me. Less than sixteen hours ago that... thing... was beating me in the prison of my horrible house. Now I'm sitting at a restaurant with five of my idols and another on the way. And Andy Biersack is holding my hand. This can't be real. This kind of thing doesn't happen to mistakes like me. Maybe I blacked out when he cut me and now i'm dreaming this impossible fantasy. No. I think. This can't be a dream, there's too much reality in it for it to be a dream.

I look up to find Andy looking at me thoughtfully. His features give the impression, not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought. I suddenly become aware of how much taller he is, I'm not short, but i'm not particularly tall either. He leans his face closer to mine and whispers,

"What are you thinking about?" I look up at him and answer honestly.

"This can't be real" I say in a choked whisper. He looks confused.

"What do you mean?" he asks. My heart drops and my eyes start to burn. I try to find the words to explain to him.

"This kind of thing. Meeting you guys. Becoming friends with you, It. It just doesn't happen to people like me." He puts his hand under my chin, trying to get me to look at him but i stare at a minuscule hole in my leggings instead. I'm too ashamed to look him in the eye.

"What do you mean 'people like you'?" He asks gently and I look him in the eyes and say in a barely audible whisper.

"Mistakes, ugly, terrible, hopeless mistakes." I wish I could disappear. A single tear slips down my cheek and he wipes it away with his thumb. he leans toward me until his face is just six inches from mine. I force myself to look into his blue eyes and I immediately regret it. the sadness I see there almost breaks me. He takes a deep breath and says gently but firmly,

"You are not a mistake. You're beautiful. Promise me you won't think of yourself like that ever again." I look away because I am too weak to keep looking into his eyes,

"But it's true." I whisper.

"No. It's not Cath." He says, insisting. I let go of his hand and bury my face in both of mine. I hear Ash's voice,

"He's right Cath. We could all tell when we met you that you're something special." I look up. The entire band is looking at me with the same concerned look on their faces. I hadn't realized they were all listening.

"They're right." Says Jake quietly "I only talked to you for about two minutes and i could already tell that you are an amazing person with a strong soul. I can see how much Andy already likes you. It's not always easy to get him to smile, but he's been smiling almost nonstop since we met you." Jinxx and CC just nod. I look inside myself and i'm surprised to find that their words actually make me feel a little better, for now at least. I'm still embarrassed but my tears stop. I look at everyone,

"Thank you guys. You have no idea how much that means to me." All I meant to do was thank them for cheering me up, but I felt like I owed them more than that. I owe them my life so after a pause I say, "Really I have to thank you for so much more than that so... Thank you for helping to pull me out of the dark places in my mind a thousand times. Thank you for the music. Thank you for the inspiration to actually do something with my life instead of just wasting away. Thank you for everything, but most of all thank you for being the closest thing I've ever had to friends."

They all look at me and smile.

"We are your friends Cath." Says Jinxx. "Never forget that." I look up, opening my mouth to say thank you, but instead, I look up and a smile spreads across my face.

"Jinxx?" I say. He looks puzzled.

"Yeah?" he asks.

"Look up." I point. He looks in the direction i'm pointing and his mouth drifts open. Sammi has just walked into the restaurant. Her hair is curly blonde now and she is wearing a red dress, lacy black leggings, heels, and a BVB necklace and bracelet set. ( cgi/set?id=143866830). She looks around the restaurant and he stands up like a man in a dream. She sees him, smiles, and starts walking quickly towards our table. He just stands there, looking at her like she's everything he ever wanted. When she is about halfway to the table he suddenly starts running to her. He kisses her, lifting her in the air and twirling her around before setting her down again. They embrace while the restaurant applauds.

They are both so amazing but I feel a sharp stab of pain in my gut. I know I will never find love like that. They get back to the table and we all get up to greet her. She hugs all of the guys, CC first and Andy last. Andy has to let go of my hand to hug her. I hang slightly behind all of the guys feeling slightly awkward but then she pulls me into a hug and says,

"You must be Cath. I've heard so much about you! I think we're going to be best friends" I smile and hug her back but my mind is reeling. Being friends with her would be insane considering I've never had a friend before; But being best friends is an impossible fantasy.

"Really? You want to be friends with me?" I ask, not quite believing what I just heard. "Of course! Jinxx told me all about you and the hairstyle sealed the deal. I love the color. She beams.

"Thank you. But your hair is much prettier than mine, so is your eyeliner. How do you make it so even? I can't stop smudging mine." Andy laughs

"See I knew you guys would be fast friends. You've already started the salon chitchat. That's the most prevalent thing in a female friendship." The guys all laugh, their allegiances clear. I smile a half smile.

"Oh right, as opposed to guys friendships where they talk about sports and shove each other around to prove their supreme manliness?" I say sarcastically, smiling fully now. Sammi and the guys laugh

"Burn!" She says punching him lightly on the arm. Andy smiles mischievously at me and tilts his head,

"Is this a challenge" He asks.

"It is" I say.

"Battle of witty comments!" Announces CC,

"Andy you're screwed." Says Jinxx laughing.

Andy puts his hand over his heart in mock sorrow.

"Have you no faith in me?" He asks in a false dramatic tone.

"No we don't Romeo, stop stalling it's your turn." Says Jake

"No, It's Cath's turn." he says laughing. I open my mouth to protest but then the waiter shows up with a giant tray of pancakes.

"And so Andy is saved by the pancakes!" commentates CC.

"What? She was totally on the ropes." Says Andy

"In your dreams." I retort. We all fall silent as we begin eat our pancakes, I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I got my food but now I am starving. This is the first thing I've eaten since lunch yesterday. I shiver remembering why I didn't eat.

"Are you cold Cath?" Asks Andy smiling at me.

"Yeah." I lie, faking a smile. There is no way I can tell him the truth. He takes off his leather jacket with some difficulty and drapes it around my shoulders like a cloak.

"There." he said "Now you can be warm." I smile at him and blush again. He's so adorable.

"But won't you be cold?" I ask.

"Nah, I'm fine." He smiles brightly at me. Jinxx and Sammi look at each other , then back at us.

"Um, have you two maybe met before?" Asks Sammi

"Uh, no, I think I'd remember." says Andy, confused

"Why do you ask?" I'm confused too. Jinxx just shrugs and takes anther bite of his pancakes. Sammi smiles.

"No reason. It just sort of seems like you know each other really well." I blush again and play with the last bite of pancake on my plate. I'm not sure how to respond to that. I'm not sure what she meant. She just smirks and looks at Jinxx again.

"What?" Andy asks grinning at her.

"Nothing." She insists grinning and stealing the last bite of Jinxx's pancake. Jinxx just smiles at her and laughs slightly. She tilts her head, leaning on his shoulder. I smile.

"Hey Cath." Says Andy, with that amazing half-grin. "We have all day to kill. What's around here that's fun?" I have to think about it. I never get to go out to have fun, I only know about what I hear at school, and that isn't a lot.

"Umm, I don't know. I've heard Lazer X is pretty cool. I've never been though."

"What is it?" Ash asks me.

"I think It's a lazer tag arena, not sure though. I've never played lazer tag."

"What! You've never been to lazer tag?!" Ash seems shocked.

"We have to baptize her with the sport of our people!" Exclaims CC and everyone laughs, including me.

"Sounds like we're going to Lazer X. We can take a cab." Says Andy

"You might have to call a company to do that." I say doubtfully. "There aren't many cabs that just drive around in this area." This particular part of the city is a bit like a city crossed with an old town. Shiny cars and big buildings, but they house old fashioned shops and there are horse rickshaws ferrying people down the cracked streets outside the window. No cabs drive around here.

"Calling a cab is no problem. I have an app that texts them for me." Says Andy beaming. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and sends a short text. Seconds later his phone vibrates in answer. He checks the message.

"Okay guys, they're sending two cabs over, they'll be here in about ten minutes." he is addressing the group but he looks at me the whole time, smiling. I feel myself smile back, I can't help it.

"Awesome, let's pay and leave." Says CC happily. Right on cue the waiter comes back to the table with the bill in hand. I reach into my bag and pull out my wallet but Andy reaches out and gently pushes my wallet back into my bag and pulls out his own.

"What are you doing?" I ask him

"I'm not letting you pay." he answers cheerily.

"Andy, I can pay for my own food." I tell him, I don't want him to pay for my breakfast.

"Undoubtedly, but you aren't going to." He replies. I pout for a second, but then I sigh, defeated.

"Thank you for breakfast." He pauses and looks at me

"Anytime." the waiter comes back to out table and takes the check.

"Alright, the cabs should be here any minute, let's get out of here." Jake says glancing through the glass doors. We get up and follow him out of the restaurant.


	4. Chapter 4

(A/N): Just some information on the story, I messed with the timeline a little in this story, Andy is 19, but the band is in the middle of writing wretched and divine. Andy has his short hair (Sorry, I had to pick one) It is nearing the end of summer vacation and Cath is 18. P.S.: I'm sorry it took so long to update but I got super sick and I had to make up all of my work. Thanks for reading my first fic! :) P.S. In this story Juliet and Andy were never more than friends, I didn't want to have to bash her as I'm a huge fan)

The taxis pull up to the curb just as we are leaving the restaurant. Andy slips an arm around my shoulders and guides me into the nearest cab. Ash joins us leaving CC, Jake, Jinxx and Sammi to pile into the other cab. Andy's arm is still around me and he gently pulls me closer to him. A smile tugs at the edges of my mouth and i want so badly to rest my head on his shoulder, like Sammi with Jinxx, but I don't dare, he would probably think i was insane. I look into the front seat of the car and see the taxi driver. She is about twenty three, her hair is black and straightened and she has her lip pierced along with several tattoos.

"Do you know where Lazer X is?" Ash asks her and she nods, clearly excited about something, but trying to keep her cool. I notice a Black Veil Brides tattoo on her hand. I smile, it's not hard to guess what she's excited about.

"You don't have to act like such a professional you know." Andy chuckles. I glance at him. His eyebrows are raised and he looks amused. She beams nervously at him, clearly trying to remain calm.

"Sorry, I'm just a huge fan. I never thought I would meet you guys." She says quickly, turning the corner.

"Purdy girl?" Asks Ash making us all laugh.

"Hardcore." she replies.

"That's awesome." Says Ash "What's your name?"

"I'm Callie."

Ash and Callie start chatting about small things while she drives to Lazer X. I just stare out the window, watching the decorative flower trees flick past at incredible speed. I rarely get the chance to travel in a car. I walk to school and... he... can rarely get his hands on one. I stare out the window for a long time, lost in thought. The trees and tall dingy buildings are replaced by traffic signs and restaurants but none of that registers to me. I jolt back into consciousness when Callie pulls up at the curb in front of a large building Boasting a huge multicolored sign.

"Here we are, Lazer X." Says Callie, looking disappointed that Andy and Ash were leaving.

"How much do we owe you?" Asks Andy. Callie takes out a calculator and does a quick sum.

"About twenty five dollars." I reach for my bag but Andy pulls out his wallet first.

"You aren't paying Cath." I half roll my eyes and throw up my hands in mock defeat as he hands Callie forty dollars.

"Thanks for not trying to kidnap us." Says Andy smiling

"Don't mention it." She replies with a salute. We climb out of the car just as the other cab is pulling up to the curb.

"Perfect timing." Andy remarks to Jake as they get out. We walk through the door and I find myself staring around in wonder. I have never been anywhere quite like this. Everything is glowing neon and flashing strobe lights. Along with the lazer tag arena there is also a bowling alley and two large arcades. Everything is decorated in the same futuristic spaceship style complete with little planet designs in the carpet. I follow the group to the front desk where the teenage attendant is spraying a pair of bowling shoes with an aerosol can of disinfectant spray. He doesn't seem to notice us when we approach the desk so Sammi clears her throat politely.

"Excuse me." He looks up quickly.

"Oh, sorry, I zoned out for a second there. How may I help you?"

"Seven lazer tag games please."

"Of course. That will be ten dollars each please." I reach for my wallet quickly and hand the cashier $20 before Andy could pull out any cash.

"That's for his too." I say gesturing at Andy.

"Hey, no fair," He says. "I'm the one who pays for stuff, this is backwards." I laugh, feeling victorious.

"Too bad, it's my turn." He pouts for a a few seconds but returns to his normal smile almost immediately.

"This isn't over yet." He says and I raise my eyebrows teasingly at him.

"You're right, I have more rounds to win." He laughs but our conversation is interrupted by the cashier handing us our game tickets and telling us;

"Your game starts in about ten minutes." He points to the arena on the left of the building and pulls out seven arcade cards. "And here are your arcade cards, they come with the games."

"Thanks." I say. We make our way over to the arena, weaving around birthday parties and exhausted parents to sit on the short wall that divides the bowling alley and the entrance to the lazer tag arena. I look at the ticket.

"Game number 22. We're on next." I tell everyone and I have to practically shout to be heard. The sounds of pounding music and screaming children fill the air. I look at the scoreboard and see that each player has a code name. Reading through the list I see that it includes several batman characters including Robin, the Joker, Penguin and Poison Ivy along with batman himself. I laugh to myself and I'm about to tell Andy but he suddenly starts jumping up and down excitedly.

"They have batman as a character!" He practically yells. His eyes are shining with childlike excitement. Jake rolls his eyes,

"Here we go; Now he'll be searching through every vest until he finds the batman one."

"Damn right I will be!" He looks like he was going to keep talking but he is cut off by an announcement over the loudspeaker.

"Game number twenty-two, please make your way to the lazer arena. Game number twenty-two. An attendant opens the space-themed doors and stands next to the door. We file in one by one, handing her our tickets. Inside the room are racks of pulsing blue or red vests with guns strapped to them. As soon as we've handed the guy our tickets Andy starts darting around, checking the names on all of the vests. I laugh to myself. Andy finds the batman vest on the blue team and CC joins him. Ash, Jake, Jinnxx and Sammi join the red team. I'm trying to decide which team to join when someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn around to see Andy smiling at me. He is holding out a blinking blue vest for me to take. I put it on and check the name. Robin. I smile at him

"Let's go be the heros that Gotham deserves." His voice is dramatic

"Deal." We have to watch a video about the rules, which is good because I don't know how to actually shoot. After that two seperate doors marked for red and blue teams hiss open pneumatically and I follow Andy through the blue door. I follow him through arena but for once I'm not really looking at him. I have never been anywhere like this. The room is full of neon markings and lit with blacklights and it's arranged almost like a maze with raised platforms and walls. Grey foam stalactites and hulking monsters hang from the ceiling and fake toxic waste barrels are scattered about, It looks like a spaceship met a nightmare at a rave. An automated voice comes over the loudspeaker temporarily pausing the pounding music.

"Thank you for coming to Lazer X, your game will start in 3... 2... 1..." The screens on our guns flicker on and I have barely had enough time to glance up before Ash and Jake are running towards us. I shriek with laughter as Andy throws me over his shoulder and runs to cover. As soon as he puts me down I swing around and aim at Jake while Andy and CC take out Ash. As They both run away CC follows them shouting loudly.

"I'M GOING AFTER THEIR BASE! TELL MY MOTHER I LOVE HER! Andy laughs and we run to our base, it's housed in a circular 'room' with two entrances and holes in the wall at kneeling level. He crouches down and pokes the clunky barrel of his gun through one of the holes and I do the same. We wait with bated breath. For several long seconds all we can hear is the loud rhythmic pounding of electronic music, then the entire red team comes running out from around barriers yelling and shouting. Andy laughs and starts shooting at them but I barely notice. My vision blurs as I watch them advance, guns drawn. My heartbeat is getting louder and louder and I find it increasingly difficult to breathe. I try to calm down but i'm not really in control of my own mind anymore.

*FLASHBACK*

"Ungrateful little bitch!" My... father... is slurring. I can smell the beer as he points his gun at me. This is the first, and last, time I tried to run away. I didn't get further than the hallway.

"You're trying to run away from here?"

"No I-I..." My voice shakes, I was always a terrible liar.

"After all I've done for you you're trying to run off? Where would you even go? No one would want you, No one could love you, everyone hates you. They even hate you at school, you have no friends because you're worthless!" He grabs my throat and pins me to the wall, pushing the gun barrel to my temple. The smell of alcohol gets stronger with every syllable. "That's all you are, ugly, emo and worthless!"

I shrink back into the wall, I know he's right.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

When I snap back into reality I find Andy crouching by my side, his wide blue eyes are filled with concern.

"Cath can you hear me? Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." I lie but considering how badly I'm shaking I don't think I'm very convincing. He shakes his head and looks me in the eye.

"Don't tell me you're fine, something is obviously bothering you."

"I don't want to talk about it." I whisper. My eyes are starting to water and I blink rapidly to stop the tears from spilling over. He looks at me with the same concerned look in his eyes but says nothing. Then Ash, Jake, Jinxx and Sammi come running into the base laughing and yelling. They stop when they see me on the ground and my cheeks burn.

Andy fakes a laugh.

"I accidentally tripped her while we were turning to shoot at you guys." He says. Why is he lying for me? He mimics a slightly guilty smile to perfection. He really is a great actor. I force myself to join his laughter.

"Shame on you Andy." mocks Sammi and shoots at his chest. The blinking blue lights on his vest turn off for a second.

"It's okay." I say. "I probably would have fallen on my own anyways knowing me."

The group laughs and I join, less forced this time because although I hate lying to them, something about being around them makes everything seem less bleak. Andy offers me his hand and I accept, pulling myself into a standing position.

"You okay Cath?" He looks me in the eyes as he says it and although he's smiling I know he's not talking about my 'fall'.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Everyone seems to remember that we're in a game of lazer tag and we all start shooting at each other like nothing happened. I push my little episode to the back of my mind and focus on the clunky gun in my fingers. I walk, crouching slightly, to the bottom of a flight of metal stairs that leads to a balcony that's raised somewhat over the maze and climb up the steps shooting at every flashing red light i see, including the exit sign once or twice. It takes them about twenty seconds to realize where I am and start shooting at me. The disadvantage to my spot becomes apparent very quickly, while I can see and shoot at almost everyone, I'm an easy target as well. I quickly run down the loud metal stairs and duck into the maze of passages. Trying to keep my ears open for the other team is pointless because the pounding music seems to have only gotten louder and I can't hear anything else. as I run past the doorway to a 'room' in the maze I see a blinking red light out of the corner of my eye. I stop and turn my gun on them but I quickly realize that the red light is not coming from a vest and that I have in fact found the red base. They must have left it unguarded when they stormed ours, perhaps hoping that they could end the game quickly. I shoot out the light in the center of the column and the music stops. Over the intercom comes the voice of the attendant telling us

"The blue team has won the game. Please make your way to the marked exits and return your vest." Fortunately the glowing red exit sign is visible above the labyrinth of futuristic walls or I would have never been able to get out on my own. I've just hung my vest up on it's peg when CC tackles me and almost knocks me down.

"You tagged their base! How did you get to it?" He asks.

"There was no one there! They weren't even guarding it." I laugh, he seems really overexcited.

"Ashley isn't going to like this. He hasn't lost in forever, I almost jumped ship when I saw he picked the red team." I place my hand over my heart

"Thank you for your unwavering loyalty" I joke, he makes a face at me and turns around to tease Jinxx about the game.

"We've defeated Mr. Freeze and that devilish Poison Ivy! Good job positioning the laser to thaw Gotham." I turn around to see Andy's smiling at me.

"Holy lasers Batman!" We both crack up, I'm actually a huge fan of Batman, they are the only movies that we actually have in the house. Sammi walks over smiling and grabs my hand, leading me towards the largest of the two arcades. The guys follow us past the bowling lanes but stop short when Andy catches sight of the batman racing game in the mini-arcade. CC rolls his eyes but Ashley just shakes his head and follows him.

"C'mon guys we'll never hear the end of it if we don't let him play." I laugh and lead the rest of them to Andy who is waiting by the machiene with a huge smile on his face. Jinxx hands him his game card and then passes the rest of them out. I slip the flimsy plastic card into my bag while Andy sits down and swipes his card across the sensor. Sammi and I chat while Andy blows up the Joker's cars.

"Hey, Cath..." Says Sammi thoughtfully.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking of dying my hair but I'm not sure which colors I should dye it. Your hair is really pretty and I was hoping you might have some suggestions?" She asks hopefully.

"Um... Thank you." I know that my hair isn't pretty but it was nice of her to say so. Her kindness surprises me. I look at her for a second and hesitate.

"I think you would look good with a light lavender hair color." I answer carefully

"Hmmm, I like the idea of having purple hair. Maybe after we play some games we can go to a salon and get it done."

Time Skip-


End file.
